S01.E02: Hugo

[secnarf]

Original air date: Jan 9 2023

[AnimeMania]

Jason, Nikki and the MPU team investigate when a woman runs down a man and forces him to get in her car at gunpoint. Meanwhile, more information about Keith's kidnapper comes to light.

Premiere Date: Monday, January 9, 2023      9pm     FOX
(This is the show's Regular Day and Time)
Arden Alfonso as Molly
Saeed Alirezaie as Hugo

[janeta]

🤦‍♀️ Holy crap, the elevator scene… The praying business may be what finally does it for me. That and all the characters' personal  drama. 🦙🦙🦙🦙

Gonna solider thru to the end of this ep but that may be it for me.

Edited January 10, 2023 by janeta

[greekmom]

Ok. I think I figured it out.

Birth mom kidnapped some kid she thought was Keith. 

Sister killed him or he was accidentally killed in some bizarre way and it's been covered up.

The mom who kidnapped Hugo was cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

[TheOtherOne]

The show just doesn't work. The tone is all over the place in a way that's really jarring. The wacky NCIS-style inter-team joking and hijinks don't feel appropriate at all when someone's been beaten badly and their life is on the line. The elevator scene...just no. Not the time for this. I can put up with the ridiculous, nearly magic ways the police are able to find clues (ie, the glasses), but the wild tonal swings are too much. (And then a character we barely know gets emotional reunion with catatonic father! What?!)

I mainly started watching this for Ryan Broussard, who I like in Only Murders in the Building. I may be biased, but he's the only character who isn't annoying so far (and I appreciate that the writers aren't making him a bad guy when he's the obvious third wheel in Jason and Nikki's inevitable reunion). Hopefully he winds up on a better show after this one, or gets more to do in OMITB season 3.

[preeya]

2 hours ago, janeta said:

Gonna solider thru to the end of this ep but that may be it for me.

Well I did soldier through both episodes and THAT'S IT FOR ME.

I'M OUT.

Edited January 10, 2023 by preeya

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, so....this episode was definitely not better than the pilot. The only reason I'm considering sticking to the end, though, is because it's only ten episodes (eight more to go) and I don't really have anything else to watch on Monday nights. But, man, is this show going to try my patience.

17 hours ago, greekmom said:

Sister killed him or he was accidentally killed in some bizarre way and it's been covered up.

I just don't see this as an option for a couple of reasons.

a) Sister (whose name I had to look up and I guess it's Sidney?) would have been 11 when her brother disappeared and no way the show would go the "kid kills her brother" route. These characters aren't some evil geniuses...or geniuses in general, and I doubt they're going to make her so smart that she's been fooling people for years. Though it wouldn't be hard with this batch of characters.

b) It's WAY too early to also have them teasing that idea. If that's a twist they're going for, they would have likely waited until later in the season to tease it.

Again, since this show is following TV tropes I'm very familiar with, the VERY likely course they're taking here is that either Keith ran away, or she saw who took her brother (I guess along with her friend who she's texting?). Although, why she texted what she did is beyond me.

But hey, she's still smarter than her two parents so I'd be on her side, regardless. Nikki may be in denial, but she can't be THIS stupid to believe that some injuries in Fake Keith's left hand means he's now switched to being a right hander. Seriously?!?! I did love what was pointed out in Sidney's text exchange ("Once his left hand healed, wouldn't he have gone back to using it?" Like, yeah?!) so at least they're kind of cluing us in to how stupid the parents are to believe stupid shit like this. 

I wanted to like Kemi and I didn't mind her schtick in the pilot, but she was really grating with the constant saging every time they found a clue. I felt for Computer Guy who kept yelling at her to stop with the sage session (according to IMDB, the character's name is C though??). But I didn't give two shits about his father since, again, we're just meeting these characters so they've developed zero emotional connection. So this plotline didn't really work, and was a REAL stretch to the overall theme of the show.

I see, though, that we're going to go back and forth on who's more gullible and I guess it was Nikki this episode. Mike (again, helps to look up the names since I have zero clue what their names are) was actively trying to, y'know, catch Fake Keith's kidnapper and Nikki's whole "I can't let you question my (fake) child!" just gave Fake Keith an opening to cry whenever he doesn't want to answer a question that would incriminate him. Of COURSE he has to be questioned, Nikki! Even Jackass Jason pointed out that this kidnapper could be doing it to other kids. 

And, speaking of Jackass Jason, I feel bad for his hopefully now ex girlfriend (good that she moved out) in that elevator scene. Although her bombarding him in front of others was also questionable, he still is way worse than her with what he did. But if that little plot is already over, what was the point? And if his girlfriend is sticking around, why would she? He did something that I would call completely unforgiveable, forgetting the fact that Jason and Nikki are clearly going to try again now that they think they have their son back. It's just all so pointless.

I also feel bad for Mike, who has been a goddamn trooper, despite seeing his fiancee and her still husband flirt (I highly doubt Jason filed the divorce papers between the pilot and now) and is still 100% helpful with the Keith case.

I think I'm going to stick with the season ONLY because there's eight episodes left and they've gotten me to almost hate watch at this point. Maybe I'll go the route of La Brea and just snark on the show from here on out.

ETA: I was in such deep ranting mode, I forgot to comment on the actual case. I also need to comment on the VERY flimsy timeline. So you're telling me that they had a timer for 67 minutes (JUST over an hour) and they were able to do ALL that in that time? They were able to get to Hugo's workplace, catch the drug dealer, bring him back to the station, question him, find the location of where Hugo and the woman were, get there AND also have time for Mike to also get Keith to their workplace, question him AND have Sidney pick him up to take him home....ALL within 67 minutes, since ALL of that took place after Kemi put the timer up? Also having a minute to spare (while said scene of talking the woman down being more than a minute)?

Not to mention the hoops I'm jumping through in my head to justify how this team is knowing specific details that I REALLY don't think a normal person would come to a conclusion to that quickly. Jason knowing the precise mathematics to the fentanyl in order to put said timer on the board, for example. Or the very, very contrived way Kemi figured out what building Hugo was being held in ("If I just look at this skyline and look at the angles of the sun and not, y'know, get someone to hack into the camera to find the GPS coordinates which would have likely been an easier thing to do....").

Also, I 100% missed how the Creepy Stalker Firm had hacked into personal cameras but also couldn't pinpoint the locations of said cameras. Like, they're so good to peer into people's homes without their permission but not so good in having zero idea of where these people are???

[preeya]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

ETA: I was in such deep ranting mode, I forgot to comment on the actual case. I also need to comment on the VERY flimsy timeline. So you're telling me that they had a timer for 67 minutes (JUST over an hour) and they were able to do ALL that in that time? They were able to get to Hugo's workplace, catch the drug dealer, bring him back to the station, question him, find the location of where Hugo and the woman were, get there AND also have time for Mike to also get Keith to their workplace, question him AND have Sidney pick him up to take him home....ALL within 67 minutes, since ALL of that took place after Kemi put the timer up? Also having a minute to spare (while said scene of talking the woman down being more than a minute)?

Not to mention the hoops I'm jumping through in my head to justify how this team is knowing specific details that I REALLY don't think a normal person would come to a conclusion to that quickly. Jason knowing the precise mathematics to the fentanyl in order to put said timer on the board, for example. Or the very, very contrived way Kemi figured out what building Hugo was being held in ("If I just look at this skyline and look at the angles of the sun and not, y'know, get someone to hack into the camera to find the GPS coordinates which would have likely been an easier thing to do....").

Also, I 100% missed how the Creepy Stalker Firm had hacked into personal cameras but also couldn't pinpoint the locations of said cameras. Like, they're so good to peer into people's homes without their permission but not so good in having zero idea of where these people are???

Just to reiterate; this ↑ unbelievable shit is why i'm out.

[Sweet-n-Snarky]

I think there's space to explore the very real spirituality and mysticism that is important to people with a modicum of respect with Kemi but they've resorted to making her kooky instead, which is more offensive. She didn't bother me as much in the pilot. I actually liked her and the potential of that but this episode she got on my nerves and I hated that an opportunity to actually showcase that specific level of spirituality in a respectful and meaningful educational way has been completely squandered.

 

 

 

Her dialogue in this episode was teeth gnashingly bad. There's no reason whatsoever for her random comments about screwing Ben Franklin in a past life in the breaths between giving an update. I hate that they're making her such a cartoon.

 

 

 

The timeline was impossible. And I definitely agree about the tonal shifts. Say what you will about Kemi, but she was the only member of the team pouring her undivided attention into actually finding poor Hugo. I actually enjoyed the pilot infinitely more than this second episode. One of the reasons being Nikki's devotion and insistence that they bring people back. And yet she was too preoccupied in her own drama to care about Hugo and Jason had more sympathy for the crazy grieving mom who was still trying to kill Hugo even after she found out he wasn't responsible. Hugo was just minding his business when this white woman with terrible hair and glasses attacked him and even the cops that eventually saved him didn't seem to give a damn about him. Justice for Hugo! 

 

 

 

That elevator scene killed the momentum wasn't funny and was awkward. I hated that June barged in and started that conversation. I hated what Jason did. I hated how Nikki inserted herself supposedly to suppose June but instead flaunting that she knows these things about Jason that June doesn't.

 

 

 

Mike is the only normal, rational one. But he's also boring and I still can't get over him proposing Fin the bullpen. Sidney is the only one with sense. Her and the dog. I think Mike will eventually catch on something is off about Keith but Nikki will be too stubborn and it'll cost then their relationship.  Keith deflects all the time. It doesn't sound like he's seeing a therapist and they just let him back in and acted like he's perfectly normal and for the most part he's acting normal too which is abnormal. 

I actually think Alert has a lot of potential,  but I don't know if they'll actually reach it, which sucks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[greekmom]

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Yeah, so....this episode was definitely not better than the pilot. The only reason I'm considering sticking to the end, though, is because it's only ten episodes (eight more to go) and I don't really have anything else to watch on Monday nights. But, man, is this show going to try my patience.

I just don't see this as an option for a couple of reasons.

a) Sister (whose name I had to look up and I guess it's Sidney?) would have been 11 when her brother disappeared and no way the show would go the "kid kills her brother" route. These characters aren't some evil geniuses...or geniuses in general, and I doubt they're going to make her so smart that she's been fooling people for years. Though it wouldn't be hard with this batch of characters.

b) It's WAY too early to also have them teasing that idea. If that's a twist they're going for, they would have likely waited until later in the season to tease it.

Again, since this show is following TV tropes I'm very familiar with, the VERY likely course they're taking here is that either Keith ran away, or she saw who took her brother (I guess along with her friend who she's texting?). Although, why she texted what she did is beyond me.

But hey, she's still smarter than her two parents so I'd be on her side, regardless. Nikki may be in denial, but she can't be THIS stupid to believe that some injuries in Fake Keith's left hand means he's now switched to being a right hander. Seriously?!?! I did love what was pointed out in Sidney's text exchange ("Once his left hand healed, wouldn't he have gone back to his right hand?" Like, yeah?!) so at least they're kind of cluing us in to how stupid the parents are to believe stupid shit like this. 

I wanted to like Kemi and I didn't mind her schtick in the pilot, but she was really grating with the constant saging every time they found a clue. I felt for Computer Guy who kept yelling at her to stop with the sage session (according to IMDB, the character's name is C though??). But I didn't give two shits about his father since, again, we're just meeting these characters so they've developed zero emotional connection. So this plotline didn't really work, and was a REAL stretch to the overall theme of the show.

I see, though, that we're going to go back and forth on who's more gullible and I guess it was Nikki this episode. Mike (again, helps to look up the names since I have zero clue what their names are) was actively trying to, y'know, catch Fake Keith's kidnapper and Nikki's whole "I can't let you question my (fake) child!" just gave Fake Keith an opening to cry whenever he doesn't want to answer a question that would incriminate him. Of COURSE he has to be questioned, Nikki! Even Jackass Jason pointed out that this kidnapper could be doing it to other kids. 

And, speaking of Jackass Jason, I feel bad for his hopefully now ex girlfriend (good that she moved out) in that elevator scene. Although her bombarding him in front of others was also questionable, he still is way worse than her with what he did. But if that little plot is already over, what was the point? And if his girlfriend is sticking around, why would she? He did something that I would call completely unforgiveable, forgetting the fact that Jason and Nikki are clearly going to try again now that they think they have their son back. It's just all so pointless.

I also feel bad for Mike, who has been a goddamn trooper, despite seeing his fiancee and her still husband flirt (I highly doubt Jason filed the divorce papers between the pilot and now) and is still 100% helpful with the Keith case.

I think I'm going to stick with the season ONLY because there's eight episodes left and they've gotten me to almost hate watch at this point. Maybe I'll go the route of La Brea and just snark on the show from here on out.

ETA: I was in such deep ranting mode, I forgot to comment on the actual case. I also need to comment on the VERY flimsy timeline. So you're telling me that they had a timer for 67 minutes (JUST over an hour) and they were able to do ALL that in that time? They were able to get to Hugo's workplace, catch the drug dealer, bring him back to the station, question him, find the location of where Hugo and the woman were, get there AND also have time for Mike to also get Keith to their workplace, question him AND have Sidney pick him up to take him home....ALL within 67 minutes, since ALL of that took place after Kemi put the timer up? Also having a minute to spare (while said scene of talking the woman down being more than a minute)?

Not to mention the hoops I'm jumping through in my head to justify how this team is knowing specific details that I REALLY don't think a normal person would come to a conclusion to that quickly. Jason knowing the precise mathematics to the fentanyl in order to put said timer on the board, for example. Or the very, very contrived way Kemi figured out what building Hugo was being held in ("If I just look at this skyline and look at the angles of the sun and not, y'know, get someone to hack into the camera to find the GPS coordinates which would have likely been an easier thing to do....").

Also, I 100% missed how the Creepy Stalker Firm had hacked into personal cameras but also couldn't pinpoint the locations of said cameras. Like, they're so good to peer into people's homes without their permission but not so good in having zero idea of where these people are???

You are probably right. Now i am thinking FakeKeith is actually realKeith's natural brother who was tortured by birth mom his whole life so he decided to take on realKeith's identity and runaway from crazy mom.

This is filler for me till the Good Doctor comes back on Mondays. Then adios amigo!

[LizDC]

Scott Caan’s face.  Did he have work done? He looks different than on H5O, and not in just a “he aged” sort of way. 

And I figured something was up with Keith when his dog didn’t recognize or like him (always trust the dog), but I hadn’t guessed that the sister was involved. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by LizDC

[Lady Calypso]

3 hours ago, greekmom said:

You are probably right. Now i am thinking FakeKeith is actually realKeith's natural brother who was tortured by birth mom his whole life so he decided to take on realKeith's identity and runaway from crazy mom.

Now THAT I can buy, that this is Keith's twin brother or something like that. That way, the show can still have the kid stick around, be sympathetic but also have the tragedy that their actual son is still missing/probably dead (he SHOULD be dead, at least, but this show could also bring real Keith on should the show be renewed). 

1 hour ago, LizDC said:

Scott Caan’s face.  Did he have work done? He looks different than on H5O, and not in just a “he aged” sort of way. 

He has a vastly different hairstyle here than he did on H50. I've been binge watching H50 the past month so I also notice a change. It's not like the show ended that long ago, either.

[secnarf]

13 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

a) Sister (whose name I had to look up and I guess it's Sidney?) would have been 11 when her brother disappeared and no way the show would go the "kid kills her brother" route. These characters aren't some evil geniuses...or geniuses in general, and I doubt they're going to make her so smart that she's been fooling people for years. Though it wouldn't be hard with this batch of characters.

...

Not to mention the hoops I'm jumping through in my head to justify how this team is knowing specific details that I REALLY don't think a normal person would come to a conclusion to that quickly. Jason knowing the precise mathematics to the fentanyl in order to put said timer on the board, for example.

Keith was also 11 when he disappeared, right? I think that is what the newspaper clipping in the diary said. That puts both of them as same age, but sister definitely looks/acts older. I wonder if she saw something and was too scared to say anything for some reason. But the only way she could know for sure it isn't Keith is if she a) knows he is dead or b) knows where he is, in the case he ran away or something.

The elevator scene was awful. The case was terrible. Also there are no precise mathematics when it comes to oral fentanyl administration. I don't claim expertise in street drugs but I am very skeptical there is a way to guesstimate how much fentanyl would have been in each pill, also.

I don't know...I am mildly curious about Keith's case, but I really don't care about the COTW so far.

 

[Madding crowd]

My husband has been in law enforcement for 30 years and just laughed at the idea they have computers that can diagnose an exact prescription from a picture of a pair of glasses and that only one optical place would carry those frames. Also finding an address based on a the angle of a light and a very generic looking basement. And burning sage is for clearing negative energy, it doesn’t bring people back from dementia for God’s sake. I like the idea of the show but it needs some realism.

[Snazzy Daisy]

I don’t have to watch the show to know what’s going on. I just come here and read all the comments & snarks, it’s more fun this way! 😆

I just wanna know one thing, did Nikki say her favorite mantra in this episode?

➡️ “Let’s bring our baby back!”

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, SnazzyDaisy said:

I don’t have to watch the show to know what’s going on. I just come here and read all the comments & snarks, it’s more fun this way! 😆

I just wanna know one thing, did Nikki say her favorite mantra in this episode?

➡️ “Let’s bring our baby back!”

LOL, yep, she did. I guess that's gonna be her thing, calling their missing victims "babies"....which really doesn't work when you're calling a grown man a "baby". Or anyone you're not familiar with, really. This victim isn't YOUR baby. It's also not endearing. Stop it.

 

[jabRI]

On 1/9/2023 at 11:03 PM, TheOtherOne said:

I mainly started watching this for Ryan Broussard, who I like in Only Murders in the Building

I got to watch him perform when he was in Brown's MFA program here in Rhode Island. Glad to see him living up to his potential, now if they could just get some decent writers.

 

Did not like his 'interrogation' of Keith, why insist on a name, just get him talking and see what he remembers.  Should have put more effort into just developing some kind of rapport.

[Clanstarling]

On 1/10/2023 at 11:02 AM, LizDC said:

Scott Caan’s face.  Did he have work done? He looks different than on H5O, and not in just a “he aged” sort of way.

It's been awhile since I watched Hawaii 5-0 (stopped watching it well before it ended), but he doesn't look different to me.

On 1/12/2023 at 3:17 AM, niftiitimp said:

I think there's space to explore the very real spirituality and mysticism that is important to people with a modicum of respect with Kemi but they've resorted to making her kooky instead, which is more offensive. She didn't bother me as much in the pilot. I actually liked her and the potential of that but this episode she got on my nerves and I hated that an opportunity to actually showcase that specific level of spirituality in a respectful and meaningful educational way has been completely squandered.

I agree. I also think if she wants to pray over an alter using incense, she should do it somewhere else. It can be, and is, difficult for people who have to inhale it. And seems to me that it's no different than smoking in the office. I do like the character, however. The actress is really good, regardless of all the nonsense they have her do.

I find the entire "kidnapped child returns home" scenario idiotic and it's my main problem, so far, with the show. This is not what happens - the parents don't take the child directly home. It could have been saved for later, when the show was more established. There's no room for the other stories to breathe. Plus it doesn't reflect well on the experience of the Missing Persons team.

But I will keep watching it, as I need another show to fill out my exercise schedule. And I like Scott Caan and Ryan Broussard (who I didn't recognize from Only Murders...). I also like the geek with the fading father.  Actually, at this point, I think I like him best of all.

 

[DanaK]

I just marvel at the inappropriate things Nikki lets happen in the unit that she supervises. The elevator scene alone should have been shut down the minute anyone saw where it was going. Kemi's idiotic recitations of men she supposedly slept with in another life should also be shut down because for sure the Ben Franklin one went nowhere. She wanted to indicate she could tell the vision set for the glasses in a picture, but she could have just said that instead of tying it to Ben Franklin inventing glasses or whatever because one didn't help the other. Plus the constant incense she lights off that bothers at least one other employee because of the smoke. Plus, the issue of hiring her estranged husband who has his own inappropriate issues and won't sign the divorce papers to work in the office while she is also the supervisor of her current boyfriend

Edited January 23, 2023 by DanaK

[Xantar]

I know they would never have done it on network tv, but the mom who kidnapped the guy should have been shot and killed by all rights. She had a gun to an innocent man’s head, she was clearly unstable, and she had already committed violence previously. Even when told by the police that she had the wrong man, she just continued to make threats and actually discharged her gun. No actual cop would have continued to try to talk her down. I personally believe our police resort to violence way too often, but in this case they would have been completely justified in killing her. I wouldn’t even have felt bad for her.

 

Speaking of not feeling bad, everybody on this show is an awful human being and I can’t stand them. I’m out. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by Xantar